58 pages • 1 hour read
Angelfall
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Symbols & Motifs
Wings
Wings form a central motif throughout the work, exploring The Politics of Sin. Wings represent an angel’s identity and value; Raffe experiences intense emotion about losing his wings, which surfaces throughout the book, and Beliel and the others recognize that taking Raffe’s wings is the most effective way to ruin him both physically and reputationally. As a motif, wings explore the idea of external vs. internal identity: Most of the angels have wings that reflect their personality, but this is not a given. For example, Raffe’s wings are pure white, symbolizing his reputation for blamelessness among the angels, while Beliel’s wings are demonic and black, symbolizing his status as a fallen angel. The swap at the end between the two, while partially enforcing the elements of body horror in the novel, also emphasizes the ultimate pointlessness of appearances. Despite Beliel’s taunting and his sword’s rejection, Raffe remains the same—yet, at the same time, the loss of his honor since he cannot recover his good name among the angels with demon wings, gives him the freedom to express emotion he was repressing before. Still, the ultimate point remains the same. Raffe has not changed; he has simply let go of maintaining a front of purity for the angels, none of whom even care. Wings are just another illusion of perfection to the angels, while from the human perspective, they are never anything but a sign of terror.
Paige’s Wheelchair
Paige’s wheelchair functions as a symbol of The Mutual Nature of Caregiving. When Paige is abducted by angels, leaving the wheelchair behind, Penryn refuses to abandon it. She pushes the empty wheelchair over muddy roads and through forests, believing that her sister will need it again when she finds her. In this way, the wheelchair symbolizes Penryn’s refusal to let go of the role of Paige’s caretaker and protector. Penryn holds onto the wheelchair for an unreasonable amount of time after Paige’s disappearance, only letting go of it when it endangers her and Raffe. She even immediately utilizes the wheelchair to get an injured Raffe to safety not long after Paige is captured. While a practical choice, this also symbolizes Penryn’s deep attachment to the wheelchair as a sign of her own identity and security. To Penryn, it is more than just a practical mobility aid for her sister; it represents a tether to Paige and to her role as Paige’s guardian. At the same time, the wheelchair being Penryn’s symbol for Paige also symbolizes Penryn’s reduction of her sister to an object in need of protection. In many ways, keeping the wheelchair around is the same to Penryn as keeping Paige around; if she can keep the wheelchair, she can convince herself that she can protect her sister. Letting go of the wheelchair in the woods symbolizes a step toward accepting that Paige exists outside of Penryn and outside of her disability.
Stars
The yellow stars Penryn’s mother sews onto their clothes serve as a potent symbol of her mother’s idiosyncratic way of viewing the world and Penryn’s constant rejection of its possibilities. Penryn mocks the stars, viewing them as a sign of her mother’s irrationality, yet in the apocalyptic world of Angelfall, the stars are nearly as effective a means of protection as anything else. At multiple points throughout the novel, Penryn remarks that her mother’s worst nightmares have come to life with the angels, yet she continually disregards her mother’s experience of the world as, in her own words, “insane.” The stars symbolize the ultimate gift of survival itself—while perhaps not solely responsible for their safety as Penryn’s mother believes them to be, they provide hope, which may be just as important. There is no sense or logic to the apocalypse anyway, making them a valuable effort regardless.
By contrasting with Penryn’s aggressive logic and practicality, the stars on her clothing effectively symbolize the role of magic and fantasy in the world. Penryn’s experiences defy any effort to make sense of the world—angel-scorpions in tubes, surgically altered children with metal teeth, and more. Her mother’s superstitions and traditions suit this world, yet Penryn is determined to view them as foolish at best, harmful at worst. Their family’s collective survival at the end of the novel is a miracle to Penryn, yet she cannot attribute it to anything her mother has done. Still, the stars stand as a potent reminder of possibility, a symbol that maybe her mother’s way of thinking can help her family survive, at least in some circumstances.
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